[Herald Interview] Vanner ready for 'Jackpot'

South Korean boy band Vanner is contending for victory in the K-pop scene this year with a full transformation of their image from fresh youth to powerful and charismatic artists.

“We want to show that Banner is a group that can handle sexy, powerful and charismatic themes through our second mini album, ‘Capture the Flag,’” said Taehwan of Vanner during a group interview in Seoul on Thursday.

The quintet’s new album, scheduled to be released on Tuesday at 6 p.m., is led by the title track, “Jackpot,” which is of the alternative rock genre, with a spoonful of blues rock.

Singer-songwriters and members of the K-pop boy group Pentagon, Hui and Wooseok took part in composing and writing the lyrics to the lead single.

“We were looking for an energetic single that can help us show off our charisma to the public, and this song made by Hui and Wooseok was a perfect fit. We could see how they had worked on this song thinking about us just by looking at the lyrics,” said Hyesung of Vanner.

“The moment we heard it, we knew that this would be our jackpot. The hook of the title track left a strong impression and the melody is also really addictive,” added Gon.

Vanner, the winning group of JTBC’s K-pop idol competition TV program, “Peak Time,” tried to enhance their vocal and performing skills further for this comeback.

“We worked hard on perfectly aligning our dance moves when performing ‘Jackpot.’ The choreography intensifies as the song progresses to its hook that it requires so much energy for us to perform,” said Taehwan.

Taehwan ripped the tendon in his left thumb and Gon injured his hamstring when practicing the choreography for “Jackpot” because of the intense dance moves.

“We also tried to refine our vocals to make them trendier. We learned from other K-pop artists that are more experienced than us, like Hui and Wooseok, how to record more effectively and efficiently,” explained Hyesung.

The new album also carries five sidetracks, and Gon took part in writing the lyrics to the track “Circuit.”

“I described how Vanner seems like a racing car on a circuit in which its engine, the most important component for a racing car, is our fans. I wrote about how we hope to push forward passionately with them by our side,” Gon said.

Marking their fifth debut anniversary next month, Vanner expressed their love towards their fans.

“Before winning on ‘Peak Time,’ we never thought our team could continue presenting new releases. But miraculously, we won and we were able to meet our fans again and make beautiful memories together. We hope to see them more often and for more years to come,” Yeonggwang noted.